Alternatively, if you’re a video game company who wants to target teens ages 16-19, you might want to look into younger Twitch streamers interested in your game. For example, Ewok, a 17-year-old gaming pro, streams games on YouTube and Twitch, and has a strong presence on Instagram.
1. Get an early start.
Most marketers will start planning for back-to-school campaigns months before August, so it’s never too early to start looking for and contacting content creators about collaboration. You can use this extra time to strategically plan your campaigns, be creative with your influencers, and make a content calendar to avoid rushing in August.
2. Remember economic uncertainty.
Everyone is under the constant shadow of an impending recession. According to the New York Fed, there’s a 68.2% chance the US might see a recession in the next year. Where possible, offer discounts and specials in your influencer marketing campaigns that might save parents some money while still keeping sales high.
3. In-person learning is officially back.
Most, if not all, schools are transitioning back to in-person learning instead of remote teaching, which means fashion is more likely to be a high priority to kids. They will also be needing school supplies such as backpacks, notebooks, writing utensils, and items for extracurriculars.
4. Invest in omnichannel shopping.
Shoppers are using multiple channels to make purchases, including on social media. It’s essential to facebook database have content on several social media platforms, desktop, mobile, and even in-person ads. If a kid sees one of your ads on Instagram and shows it to their mom, the mom might see it again in an ad while browsing Pinterest, and click and buy it.
5. Keep supply chain disruptions in mind.
While the worst of the pandemic supply chain disruptions has ended, brands still feel the reverberations of COVID-19. Make sure the products you want to market will be in stock by the time August rolls around, or you might have a lot of unhappy customers.
6. Keep up with trends.
A good influencer marketing manager will keep up to date with the latest social media trends. However, it can be hard to do that while managing a full-time schedule of various marketing campaigns. Touch base with your content creators to get a sense of what they think a good trend might be to target this season.
Key takeaway: embrace content creators in your back-to-school marketing campaigns this year
Back-to-school marketing has evolved significantly over the last few decades, especially with the rise of technology and the growth of younger generations like Gen Z and Gen Alpha entering education. Influencer marketing is one of the best and most powerful tools for reaching these audiences and their parents, allowing brands to connect to niche markets and leverage the authentic brand love of content creators.